Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
3.5? i really liked the world she created, how the town of fairfold had a faerie element but was also still a real town in 2017, with cell phones etc. and i really liked the characters she wrote. would have been a higher rating, except some of the ways she described what was happening was hard to follow, especially for a YA book. things are a tiny bit unclear towards the end, which isn't a great sign.
hazel seemed like a great protagonist for the YA world. she was brave and smart, but also liked to get drunk and make out with randoms. and that was fine, it didn't define her, she didn't have a drinking problem, she was just a teenager. obvs enjoyed her love story with her bro's best friend jack, the changeling next door. there were a few times when she and her bro seemed VERY close and were even eskimo siblings (only make out, but still, pretty rare for real siblings), but never in a flowers in the attic way, and not just b/c her brother ben was gay. i wouldn't have minded a deeper exploration of exactly what jack's powers were. and if he's immortal, at what age does it look like he's stopped growing up? how exactly is his and hazel's happily ever after going to play out?
severin was a really interesting character as well. for both him and his dad the alderking, i loved how the author created these vivid, gorgeous monsters, equally terrifying and electrifying. all the romantical/sexy parts of the book were done very well for YA, i def felt the emotional pull. and i liked how in the end, they defeated the alderking and all was good. ben chose to stay behind with the fairies, which seemingly includes being boyfriends with their new leader. and jack and hazel got together back in the "real" world. i would potentially read something else by her.
hazel seemed like a great protagonist for the YA world. she was brave and smart, but also liked to get drunk and make out with randoms. and that was fine, it didn't define her, she didn't have a drinking problem, she was just a teenager. obvs enjoyed her love story with her bro's best friend jack, the changeling next door. there were a few times when she and her bro seemed VERY close and were even eskimo siblings (only make out, but still, pretty rare for real siblings), but never in a flowers in the attic way, and not just b/c her brother ben was gay. i wouldn't have minded a deeper exploration of exactly what jack's powers were. and if he's immortal, at what age does it look like he's stopped growing up? how exactly is his and hazel's happily ever after going to play out?
severin was a really interesting character as well. for both him and his dad the alderking, i loved how the author created these vivid, gorgeous monsters, equally terrifying and electrifying. all the romantical/sexy parts of the book were done very well for YA, i def felt the emotional pull. and i liked how in the end, they defeated the alderking and all was good. ben chose to stay behind with the fairies, which seemingly includes being boyfriends with their new leader. and jack and hazel got together back in the "real" world. i would potentially read something else by her.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 Stars. I enjoyed this well enough. It read a little more YA than The Cruel Prince, but it was still a fun story to follow, and I’m glad I read it.
I really LOVE Holly Black's faerie folklore. It's always so interesting and entertaining.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No other author I have read has perfectly encapsulated the difference between fairies and humans in the same way has Holly Black. Fairies are “cruel” by our standards but by their own are not.
This was as much a story about fairies as it was about siblings and families and lies and becoming yourself.
Was I incredibly angry at how stupid some of the characters were? Yes, there were many times that I closed the book just because I couldn’t see this ending well. This would be very interesting to reread bc of the depths of the secrets and lies that are told.
I’m very surprised this isn’t discussed hardly as much as the Folk of the Air. This is almost the anti of that, fairies in the human world as opposed to humans in the faerie world. I want to reread the Cruel Prince now because of that.
This book gives simultaneously the vibes of September and the vibes of March. Spooky season and the chaos of early spring.
I didn’t give this book 5 stars because of me wanting to smack Hazel for her stupid decisions, but the thing with Holly Black is her characters are ALWAYS true to their background and how they are raised. Cardan doesn’t know how to love Jude bc he was never shown love. Jude is cruel and calculating bc she had to be to survive. Hazel had to save herself bc her parents were negligent, so she took the stupid risks.
The epilogue rounded it out so perfectly. Perfectly paced to be a standalone. Did almost seem a bit too easy with the ending but I can’t imagine it a different way once the ending came to fruition. Maybe I just wanted it to be a bit longer.
This was as much a story about fairies as it was about siblings and families and lies and becoming yourself.
Was I incredibly angry at how stupid some of the characters were? Yes, there were many times that I closed the book just because I couldn’t see this ending well. This would be very interesting to reread bc of the depths of the secrets and lies that are told.
I’m very surprised this isn’t discussed hardly as much as the Folk of the Air. This is almost the anti of that, fairies in the human world as opposed to humans in the faerie world. I want to reread the Cruel Prince now because of that.
This book gives simultaneously the vibes of September and the vibes of March. Spooky season and the chaos of early spring.
I didn’t give this book 5 stars because of me wanting to smack Hazel for her stupid decisions, but the thing with Holly Black is her characters are ALWAYS true to their background and how they are raised. Cardan doesn’t know how to love Jude bc he was never shown love. Jude is cruel and calculating bc she had to be to survive. Hazel had to save herself bc her parents were negligent, so she took the stupid risks.
The epilogue rounded it out so perfectly. Perfectly paced to be a standalone. Did almost seem a bit too easy with the ending but I can’t imagine it a different way once the ending came to fruition. Maybe I just wanted it to be a bit longer.
Love Hazel and I didn’t anticipate most twists. I feel like there could have been more though and the beginning felt pretty slow
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this one, fun mix of fantasy world with reality. Great story building and characters.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I love you like in the storybooks. I love you like in the ballads. I love you like a lightning bolt." 🥹
Oh my goodness, what a LOVELY read! Holly Black does it again. I'm obsessed with the way she weaves the modern world and Faerieland together. I adored the cast of characters in this book. Honestly I wish this wasn't a standalone because I'm going to miss them all. The plot sucked me in from page one and the pacing was superb. I flew right through this one.
Oh my goodness, what a LOVELY read! Holly Black does it again. I'm obsessed with the way she weaves the modern world and Faerieland together. I adored the cast of characters in this book. Honestly I wish this wasn't a standalone because I'm going to miss them all. The plot sucked me in from page one and the pacing was superb. I flew right through this one.